I Support My Local TEA Party

What the Tea Party Means to Me

The Tea Party means many things to me, it is at once a celebration of our freedom and liberty, the conscience of America, an army of noble patriots bound by the flame of liberty burning in their hearts, a reawakening of America’s sense of values and principles, it is a throwing off of the dark and suffocating cloak of liberal political correctness, it is “We the People” saying enough is enough from sea to shining sea and from border to border.

America is the people, not the government institutions. The government institutions that were supposed to protect and aid the people in limited fashion have become the prisons of freedom, free thought, free markets and free conscience. The people had been silent for too long and dubbed the great “Silent Majority”, they were hard working, affable, forgiving, tolerant, worshipful and principled patriots who went about their daily lives expecting the government to protect and aid them within the bounds of the Constitution and the Law. They had a sense of what was supposed to be, how government ought to work, you heard phrases every day such as “that’s unconstitutional” and “it’s the law”, proof that there was a sensibility and if not pushed too far, probably would remain “silent”.

Then it came, the great disenchantment the realization that their institutions had become too large and oppressive, their representatives had lost touch with the people they were supposed to serve and the new President who had promised “hope and change” delivered more of the same with second and third helpings. A “Great Discomfort” settled over the land, fear gripped the hearts of many and their sensibility was awakened, they had finally had enough and it was time to express that and take action.

And so it began on a cold day in February 2009 when moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas, students, working folks, retired folks and more, were compelled to break the “silence”, and thus a floodgate was opened, the Tea Party was born. The flame of liberty and justice that burned in all their hearts flared brightly. They grew in numbers and they quickly spread the word across the Country, and in others, the flame burned brightly with a renewed hope.

The Tea Party has been called many things, “angry white mob”, “terrorists”, “radical right organization”, “racist” and many other equally derogative names. What the Tea Party has become, is the enemy of the progressive left, the self serving politician, the free spending and taxing politician, the left wing media, and all of those others who have broken the public trust through actions and words that undermine our great Republic and what it stands for. The Tea Party is “We The People”, America!

The Tea Party knows that America got to be the greatest country on earth, the torch of freedom worldwide, the land of opportunity, the “land of the free” and the “home of the brave” because of the peoples lust for freedom, liberty and justice, their shared principles and values, their entrepreneurial spirit, their adventurous and explorative spirit and their belief in “America’s” greatness, not the desire to embrace failed policies and ideologies of others.

The Tea Party is comprised of proud Americans, many of them Veteran’s, defenders of our freedom, and those who support them and believe that America is worth fighting for. They believe in America’s exceptionality, in personal responsibility, in the right of the individual to achieve greatness and inspire others to do so. They believe that freedom is not free, with it comes the duty to protect and preserve it. They believe that limited government is the best government. They believe in helping others help themselves through education or training and exercising personal initiative leading to success, not through enslavement by entitlements. “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day…teach a man how to fish, feed him for a lifetime”. The Tea Party believes you have a duty to fish!

The Tea Party is a party of one, it is born of the flame of liberty and justice that burns in each of us. We are each a leader, it is that leadership that caused each of us to rise up, it is that leadership that compels us to spend time, to travel long distances oft times at great expense to join others in voicing our concern for America. Although there is no central leader or organization, we all march to the same tune, liberty. As leaders each and every one of us provide the conscience for America, the America of our founding fathers, the America of our fathers and grandfathers. That conscience is rooted deep in our communities across the country and in each of us. It is a conscience that we express and pass along to all, not the conscience of one or a few passed on to us. It is this collective conscience, the flame of liberty and justice burning in each of us, the leader in each of us, that provides the common thread that binds us into a collective and powerful force.

Attempts by any to co-opt the Tea Party, to organize it under one banner or organization, to proclaim a leader will undermine the power of the Tea Party. Tea Party runs through our veins, it is a feeling of freedom, duty, pride, love of Country and fellow men, liberty and justice, it is not something to be harnessed but rather something to be unleashed like a wildfire, it is, what America is built of. The Tea Party is America, it is what America is made of and stands for, it is representative of Ronald Reagan’s “Shining City On A Hill” and it’s light shall pierce through the dark veil of progressivism that has cloaked America in recent years.

The Tea Party is not a political party nor does it owe loyalty to any political party, it is the “Conscience of America” and as such is duty bound to hold our public servants accountable. Accountable to honor and defend the Constitution, to abide by the rule of law, to guard the Republic, to represent the people and to exhibit the honor and integrity required of office.

The Tea Party embodies that which has made this land great, a belief in God given unalienable rights for all men, liberty and justice for all, limited government, thriving free markets, the principles and values of a moral society, the rights of the many outweighing the wishes of the few, the “Rule of Law” which our great Republic is founded on and an un-abiding belief in, and the promotion of, personal responsibility and achievement.

On this coming Independence Day or 4th of July, take some time to reflect on the true meaning of the day, what it is that we are really celebrating, what liberty means to you, what sacrifices have been made for your liberty and independence, the wisdom of the founding fathers in providing us with a Republic governing under the rule of law through democratically elected Representatives in lieu of some other form of government operating under a monarchy, an oligarchy, socialism, communism or a Democracy under the whim of the people. Ask yourself “What about my debt, what am I ready and willing to sacrifice for my liberty’s sake?”

Remember the Tea Party is America and America is “We The People”. We have a long history and strong heritage of greatness and sacrifice. We are America and the world looks to us for strength, guidance, liberty and justice. We are the shining light, “the best and last hope for mankind”. We are Tea Party!!

Tom Whitmore


Surrounding the U.S. Capitol on 9-12-2009

Some Handy Links http://washingtondcteaparty.ning.com/ Join Washington DC Tea Party and stay up to date with all events planned for the DC, the "Belly of the Beast"!
http://teapartypatriots.org More information about the Tea Party Movement, including how to set up your own group.
http://virginiateapartypatriots.com/ A Federation of Virginia Tea Party Patriot organizations. Find one near you.
http://taxdayteaparty.com Learn more about the Tax Day Tea Party and other efforts.
Visit Washington DC Tea Party